The history ofAmerican comics began in the 19th century inmass print media, in the era ofsensationalist journalism, wherenewspaper comics served as further entertainment for mass readership.^[1] In the 20th century, comics became an autonomousart medium^[1] and an integral part ofAmerican culture.^[2]

The history of American comics started in 1842 with the U.S. publication ofRodolphe Töpffer's workThe Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck,^[3][4] but the medium was initially developed throughcomic strips indaily newspapers. The seminal years of comic strips established its canonical features (e.g.,speech balloons) and initial genres (family strips, adventure tales). Comic-strip characters became national celebrities, and were subject to cross-media adaptation, while newspapers competed for the most popular artists.

The first American-style truecomic book, published independently of a newspaper (Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics), appeared in 1933.^[5] Although the first comic books were themselves newspaper-strip reprints, comics soon featured original material, and the first appearance ofSuperman in 1938 launched theGolden Age of Comic Books. DuringWorld War II,superheroes andtalking animals were the most popular genres, but new genres were also developed (i.e., western, romance, and science fiction) and increased readership. Comic book sales began to decline in the early 1950s, and comics were socially condemned for their alleged harmful effects on children; to protect the reputation of comic books, theComics Code Authority (CCA) was formed, but this eliminated the publication ofcrime andhorror genres.

TheSilver Age of Comic Books began in 1956 with a resurgence of interest in superheroes. Non-superhero sales declined and many publishers closed. Publishers introduced new and popular superheroes and thereby became the leading comics publisher in theBronze Age of Comic Books (from 1970 to 1985). Unlike the Golden and Silver ages, the start of the Bronze Age is not marked by a single event. Although the Bronze Age was dominated by the superhero genres,underground comics appeared for the first time, which addressed new aesthetic themes and followed a new distribution model.

Following the Bronze Age, theModern Age initially seemed to be a new golden age. Writers and artists redefined classic characters and launched new series that brought readership to levels not seen in decades, and landmark publications such asMaus redefined the medium's potential. The industry, however, soon experienced a series of financial shocks and crises that threatened its viability, and from which it took years to recover.

Americancomics historians generally divide 20th-century American comics history chronologically into ages. The first period, calledGolden Age, extends from c. 1938 (first appearance ofSuperman inAction Comics#1 byNational Allied Publications, a corporate predecessor ofDC Comics) to 1956 (introduction of DC's second incarnation ofThe Flash). The following period, theSilver Age, goes from 1956 to 1970. TheBronze Age follows and spans from 1970 to 1985. Finally the last period, from c. 1985 until today, is theModern Age.^[6] This division is standard but not all the critics apply it, since some of them propose their own periods,^[6][7] and the dates selected may vary depending on the authors.

The first recorded use of the term "Golden Age" pertaining to comics was byRichard A. Lupoff in an article, "Re-Birth", published in issue one of the fanzineComic Art in April 1960.^[8] The first use of the terms "Golden Age" and "Silver Age" together as comic periodization was in aletter from a reader published inJustice League of America #42 (February 1966) that stated: "If you guys keep bringing back the heroes from the Golden Age, people 20 years from now will be calling this decade the Silver Sixties!"^[9][10] Comics historian/movie producerMichael Uslan says this natural hierarchy of gold–silver–bronze, akin toOlympic medals, soon took hold in common parlance: "Fans immediately glommed onto this, refining it more directly into aSilver Age version of the Golden Age. Very soon, it was in our vernacular, replacing such expressions as ... 'Second Heroic Age of Comics' or 'The Modern Age' of comics. It wasn't long before dealers were ... specifying it was a Golden Age comic for sale or a Silver Age comic for sale."^[10]

InA Complete History of American Comic Books,Shirrel Rhoades citesSteve Geppi (the publisher of theOverstreet Comic Book Price Guide and founder ofDiamond Comic Distributors, thedirect market distribution monopoly between 1997 and 2020) who, taking into account comic strips, divides the history of comics in ages:^[11]Victorian (Victorian Age, from 1828 to 1882), of platinum (Platinum Age, from 1882 to 1938), of gold (Golden Age, from 1938 to 1945),atomic (Atom Age, from 1946 to 1956), of silver (Silver Age, from 1956 to 1971), of bronze (Bronze Age, from 1971 to 1985), of copper (Copper Age, from 1986 to 1992), ofchrome (Chrome Age, from 1992 to 1999), and modern (Modern Age, 2000 to present). According to Rhoades, consideration ofcomic strips in the general history of comics has led Geppi to add two periods before the Golden Age: the Victorian Age (from 1828 to 1882) and the Platinum Age (the period of comic strips).^[11]

Alternative definitions of these periods exist, as comics historian William W. Savage sets the ending of the Atom Age (the period in which there was a prevalence ofatomic-bomb narratives andhorror stories) in 1954, the year that theComics Code Authority prohibited most of what had appeared prior to 1954.^[12] The websiteCopper Age Comics proposes that the Copper Age began in 1984 with Marvel'sSecret Wars limited series and ended in 1991 withJim Lee'sX-Men series. In 1992, a group of Marvel artists (including Jim Lee) defected to form the creator-ownedImage Comics; the site marks this as the beginning of the Modern Age, which continues to the present.^[13]

An alternative name for the period after the mid-1980s is theDark Age of Comic Books.^[14]Pop culture writer Matthew J. Theriault proposed theDark Age (c. 1985 to 2004), theModern Age (beginning c. 2004 with the publication of Marvel's "Avengers Disassembled" and DC Comics' "Infinite Crisis", and ending c. 2011), and thePostmodern Age (beginning c. 2011 with the publication ofUltimate Fallout #4, the first appearance ofMiles Morales, and continuing to the present).^[15]Comics creator Tom Pinchuk proposed the nameDiamond Age (2000–present) for the period starting with the appearance of Marvel'sUltimate line.^[16]

Comics in the United States originated in the early European works. In 1842, the workHistoire de Mr. Vieux Bois byRodolphe Töpffer was published under the titleThe Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck in the U.S.^[3][4] This edition (anewspaper supplement titledBrother Jonathan Extra No. IX, September 14, 1842)^[17][18] was an unlicensed copy of the original work as it was done without Töpffer's authorization. This first publication was followed by other works of this author, always under types of unlicensed editions.^[19] Töpffer comics were reprinted regularly until the late 1870s,^[20] which gave American artists the idea to produce similar works. In 1849,Journey to the Gold Diggins by Jeremiah Saddlebags by James A. and Donald F. Read was the first American comic.^[21][22]

Domestic production remained limited until the emergence of satirical magazines that, on the model of BritishPunch, published drawings and humorous short stories, but also stories in pictures^[20] and silent comics. The three main titles werePuck,Judge andLife.^[23] Authors such asArthur Burdett Frost created stories as innovative as those produced in the same period by Europeans. However, these magazines only reached an audience educated and rich enough to afford them. The arrival of new printing techniques, along with other technologies, allowed easy and cheap reproduction of images for the American comic to take off. Some media moguls likeWilliam Randolph Hearst andJoseph Pulitzer engaged in a fierce competition, publishing cartoons in their newspapers in an attempt to attract readers.^[24]

The period of the late 19th century (the so-called "Platinum Age") was characterized by a gradual introduction of the key elements of the American mass comics. Then, thefunnies were found in the humor pages of newspapers: they were published in the Sunday edition to retain readership. Indeed, it was not the information given that distinguished the newspapers but theeditorials and the pages which were not informative, whose illustrations were an important component.^[25] These pages were then called comic supplement. In 1892,William Randolph Hearst published cartoons in his first newspaper,The San Francisco Examiner.James Swinnerton created on this occasion the first drawings ofhumanized animals in the seriesLittle Bears and Tykes.^[26] Nevertheless, drawings published in the press were rather a series of humorous independent cartoons occupying a full page. The purpose of the cartoon itself, as expressed through narrative sequence expressed through images which follow one another, was only imposed slowly.

In 1894, Joseph Pulitzer published in theNew York World the first color strip, designed byWalt McDougall, showing that the technique already enabled this kind of publications.^[27] Authors began to create recurring characters. Thus, in 1894 and still in theNew York World,Richard F. Outcault presentedHogan's Alley, created shortly before in the magazineTruth Magazine. In this series of full-page large drawings teeming with humorous details, he staged street urchins, one of whom was wearing a blue nightgown (which turned yellow in 1895). Soon, the little character became the darling of readers who called himYellow Kid.^[28] On October 25, 1896,theYellow Kid pronounced his first words in aspeech balloon (they were previously written on his shirt). Outcault had already used this method but this date is often considered as the birth of comics in the United States.^[29]

Yellow Kid's success boosted sales of theNew York World, fueling the greed of Hearst. Fierce competition between Hearst and Pulitzer in 1896 led to enticing away of Outcault by Hearst to work in theNew York Journal. A bitter legal battle allowed Pulitzer to keep publishingHogan's Alley (which he entrusted toGeorges B. Luks) and Hearst to publish the series under another name.Richard Outcault chose the titleThe Yellow Kid. Published in 1897, theYellow Kid magazine consisting of sheets previously appeared in newspapers and it was the first magazine of its kind.^[30][31]

From 1903 to 1905,Gustave Verbeek wrote his comic seriesThe Upside-Downs of Old Man Muffaroo and Little Lady Lovekins.

TheGolden Age of Comic Books describes an era ofAmerican comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, moderncomic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. Thesuperheroarchetype was created and many well-known characters were introduced, includingSuperman,Batman,Captain Marvel,Captain America, andWonder Woman.

TheSilver Age of Comic Books began with the publication of DC Comics'Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956), which introduced the modern version of theFlash.^[32][33][34] At the time, only three superheroes—Superman,Batman, andWonder Woman—were still published under their own titles.^[35] TheComics Code was a dominating force during the Silver Age. The Code restricted many topics from being covered in stories: this prevented certain genres, such as crime and horror comics, from being sold at most comic book shops, and also helped superheroes stay popular and culturally relevant. Theunderground comix movement began at the end of the Silver Age in response to the restrictions of the Code, and was part of the broadercounterculture of the 1960s.

TheBronze Age of Comic Books is an informal name for a period in the history of American superhero comic books usually said to run from 1970 to 1985. It follows theSilver Age of Comic Books and is followed by theModern Age of Comic Books. The Bronze Age retained many of the conventions of the Silver Age, with traditionalsuperhero titles remaining the mainstay of the industry. However, a return of darker plot elements and storylines more related to relevant social issues, such as racism, began to flourish during the period, prefiguring the later Modern Age of Comic Books.

TheModern Age of Comic Books is a period in the history of American superhero comic books which is generally considered to have begun in 1985 and continues through the present day. During approximately the first 15 years of this period, manycomic book characters were redesigned, creators gained prominence in the industry, independent comics flourished, and larger publishing houses became more commercialized. An alternative name for this period is theDark Age of Comic Books, due to the popularity and artistic influence of titles with serious content, such asBatman: The Dark Knight Returns andWatchmen.^[14]

• Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked
• History of comics
• List of years in comics
• Table of years in comics
• Ages of Man, from Ancient Greek mythology, which introduced the idea of "Golden Age", "Silver Age", and "Bronze Age"

• Coogan, Peter (2006).Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre. Austin, Texas: MonkeyBrain Books.

• History of American comics
• History of comics
• American comics
• Cultural history of the United States

• Pages using the EasyTimeline extension
• CS1 French-language sources (fr)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata